troubles, and He saved them out of their distresses; and at verse 28, Then they cry unto the Lord [Jehovah] in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses; in which passages a distinction is made between trouble and distress; also between delivering, saving, and bringing out of. For the original Hebrew term, here rendered trouble, signifies to bind close; and the original term, rendered distress, signifies to compress; and the original term, rendered delivered, signifies to shelter; and the original term, rendered saved, signifies to save; and the original term, rendered bringeth them out of, signifies to bring forth, or out of. From these considerations it would appear, that the word trouble has respect to the principle of evil, and is therefore in the singular number; whereas the term distresses has respect to the falses of evil, and is accordingly in the plural number. To deliver, to save from, and to bring out of distresses, may therefore properly denote the various processes and degrees by which the falses of evil are removed from man; deliverance, or shelter, having relation to the first insemination of divine truth in the understanding, by which the falses of evil are first assaulted and shaken; whilst saving from, has relation to the implantation of heavenly good in the will, by which the same falses are further combated and conquered; and whilst bringing out of, has relation to the entire removal of those falses, in consequence of the joint operation of good and truth.
166. Jesus Christ says, He that cometh to Me, and heareth My words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like to a man building a house,
